


My Kind Of Person

by EirSnowLavellan



Series: The Journey [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Die mad about it, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, I don't know how tags work, I tried my hand at fluff, I upped their ages, Paul is a grump, Red is in here somewhere, Romance, Slow Burn, Traveling, Trust, Trusting your Pokémon, Will they do the do?, Yes they will do the do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-03-25 16:09:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13838328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EirSnowLavellan/pseuds/EirSnowLavellan
Summary: When Yukina meets Paul on her journey through Sinnoh with Ash, Dawn, and Brock, he insults her and she thinks he's a jackass. She does not shy away from his challenge. Even if it means that if she loses, she has to travel with him. During their travels, she is plagued by old memories of a life she left behind, and strange emotions she feels she's not equipped to deal with.On her journey, she will face trials and tribulations, which will not only strengthen her bond with her Pokémon, but also forge a deeper understanding of what happened in her past. Together with Paul, she will find answers that will bring even more questions of what really happened with her family.





	1. A Challenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to start by saying I wrote this a long ass time ago. Needless to say, a few things had to be changed and I have rewritten a bunch of it. That being said, I also need to get used to the AO3 interface. So forgive me for any inconsistencies, I'm getting around to those.   
> Without further ado, enjoy!

It was well past noon when we encountered him. I was traveling with Ash, Dawn, and Brock for a little bit, before we finally arrived at Jubilife City. We had been wandering about the city, preparing Dawn for her upcoming Contest Hall debut, when suddenly we heared a voice call out.

  
"What are you doing here, loser?" The voice came from a purple haired boy. Arms crossed, scowl on his face. Almost instantaniously, I felt my eyes narrow in irritation. Who does he think he is? I looked him over for a moment. Wait... I've seen him before. He was that guy that beat Ash a couple of days ago! What was his name again..? I only ever remembered him being a jerk to his Pokémon."Hey Paul!" Ash responded back to him. Oh right. His name was Paul. What a stupid name. "Dawn is entering the Pokémon Contest and after we're going to go to Oreburgh City for my first gym badge!" Ash said enthousiastically. He's always very determined. Never swayed by losing battles. It's what I think is cool about him, quite honestly. Paul grunts. "As if a weakling like you would ever be able to beat the Oreburgh Gym." Wow, what a jackass.

  
I walked over to Ash and put my arm over his shoulder, glaring at the purple haired boy. "And you would? With that piss poor attitude?" He looked at me, scowl still present.

"Who are you?" He asked.  
I grit my teeth, a vein throbbing on my forehead. Seriously? You didn't even bother remembering my name? Well, let's be honest, I didn't remember your name either. "Hey asshole, at least make an effort of remembering my name, we met before." Pikachu chimed in with a "Pika pi!" as if agreeing with me. Paul turned up his noise slightly, as if disgusted. "As if remembering your name would ever matter." My grip on Ash's shoulder tightened, Ash slightly flinched in pain. "I feel like I'm wasting my time here, so are we going to battle or what?" Paul demanded. A battle? "Uh, are you talking to me?" I asked surprised.

  
"I don't need to battle Ash again to know that he's still pathetic. Battle me." He demanded again. I scoffed. "Why would I want a match with you? You don't even know my name." "Hn. I don't need to know your name, I just want to battle you." For real dude, you don't have any clue what social cues are, do you? "Why don't you battle him, Yukina?" Dawn chimed in. Ash and Brock nodded their heads. "Yeah! That way you can see how much stronger you've gotten!" Ash intervenes. Hmmm... they do have a point. But I really, and I mean, really, don't want to battle someone like him. Paul smirks. "Are we gonna do this or are you scared?"

  
...Scared? Scared?! I stomped towards him and got in his face. "I didn't catch that, did you just say I was scared?" While smirking, he raised an eyebrow. "Someone nameless like you would stray away from a challenge." My hands tightened in fists. I'm not able to keep my temper in check. In less than five minutes, he's insulted me far too many times. My friends were walking towards us, arms raised to stop me, but I was too fast. My fist traveling at as close as I could get it to light-speed, I punched the offensive boy in the face.

  
I hissed, shaking the hand that punched him. That actually hurt a bit. Dawn grabbed my hand. "Yukina! What were you thinking?!" She cries frantically. "He was being an asshole, okay?!" I looked down at Paul. He's clutching his nose, trying to hold back the blood. Brock grabbed my by the shoulders. "I'm going to get an icepack at the Pokémon Centre, make sure he's okay in the meantime!" And he ran away. I spur into action, taking off my crop-top hoodie and bunching it up. I carefully lift up Paul's head and put my hoodie underneath his head. People around us stopped and stared at us. Oh yeah, we're in the middle of the city and they just saw a girl suckerpunch another kid in the face. "What are you looking at?!" I snarled at them. Most of them quickly dispersed.

  
Ash and Dawn considered me, disapproval evident in their eyes. "Yukina, you went completely overboard." Ash said. Dawn nodded her head. "Yeah, why didn't you just battle him?" I groaned. "Guys, come the fuck on. Did you not hear him? He's a huge jackass to both people and Pokémon, because they are quote unquote 'weak'. I don't need a guy like that deciding whether I'm weak or not based on one battle." I answered, crossing my arms defiantly. They looked at eachother, uneasy, and reluctantly said "I guess you're right" simultaniously. "You probably shouldn't have punched him, though." Ash chastised. I pouted, glaring at my own feet. "You're probably right..."

  
A groan escapes the purple haired boy. I got closer to him, put my hand on his shoulder and offered him my other hand for him to take so I could help him get up. He doesn't take it, but he doesn't shake off my hand from his shoulder. He clutched his nose and winced in pain. A wave of guilt settled in my chest. "Hey, you good?" I asked him. He got up, glared at me and said nothing. The look on his face was unmistakable. I wounded his pride. "You expect anything different when you spout out shit like that?" I tried to explain myself, feeling myself get angry again. Before things could escalate again, Brock ran towards us with an icepack in his hands. He threw it towards me and I caught it with ease. I turned towards Paul and put a hand behind his head to keep him still and tried to gently put the icepack against his nose. "Come here." I said. He slapped my hands away, seeming very annoyed. "I can do that myself, thank you very much." He grunted, irritated.

  
"I can do that myself, thank you very much." I parrot, mumbling in a lower pitch of my voice, mocking him. Brock took me by the shoulder, walking away from the rest for a few paces. "You really should apologize to him, Yukina. That was uncalled for." He said to me. I grimaced, really not wanting to apologize to him. "I know that, but he was being really offensive, you heard what he said!" I retorted. "And it's not like I broke his nose or anything! Someone who walks around like that, attacking people the way he does, I probably did him a favor." Brock just looked at me with a raised eyebrow, hands on his hips. Oh, so it's a staring contest you want, huh? I stared right back at him. Shit, I can't keep this up, I hate disappointing Brock. "Fine!" I grit out eventually. Brock relaxed, grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around to face Paul and the rest. Ash and Dawn are keeping Paul in place, making sure that he's okay. "You'll feel better, trust me." As we walked towards him I just grumbled "I wouldn't be so sure about that, my friend."

  
As I stood in front of Paul, I felt my skin crawl. Why should I apologize first? He started it. But now Brock is watching me and I can't back out of this. I held out my hand. Paul just glared at it, still holding the icepack against his nose. "What am I supposed to do with that." He grits out. I turned my head, not wanting to look at him. "You're supposed to take it." He narrowed his eyes. "And?"  
"I'm apologizing to you, dick. There. I'm sorry I punched you, even if you did deserve it for being an asshole to me." I said reluctantly. He's quiet for a few moments, clumsily switching which hand is holding the icepack against his face and shakes my hand. His fingertips are still cold from holding the icepack, but his palm is warm. "I'll let it slide, on one condition." I finally turn towards him again. "A condition?" I asked, only a little bit curious. "Battle me, and when I win, you travel with me from then on."

  
My jaw sagged, a bit shocked at the idea. If I lose, I'd have to travel with him? Wait a minute... He said 'when', not 'if'. Cocky son of a bitch. I can't very well punch him twice. I realised I was still holding his hand, but instead of releasing it immediately, I shook it, sealing the deal. He tried to take his hand back, but I reaffirmed my grip, shaking harder. "And when I win, you're going to be less of an asshole to me." He smirks. "Deal, you're not going to win anyway."

  
I smirked. "Then let's get you ready for a smack down."


	2. Paul Is My Opponent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll like this, because writing isn't something that comes naturally to me. Hope you enjoy!

  
The five of us decided to battle near the Jubilife City Pokémon Centre, just so we could heal our Pokémon afterwards. It was late in the afternoon, the sun hanging a bit low. Paul and I stood on opposing ends of the road. I was determined to pound this douche into the dirt. There was just no way I was going to travel with him. I've got to think of a strategy. _What kind of Pokémon did he use against Ash the last time they battled? I remember him having both an Elekid and a Chimchar... He released those Starly he had because he thought they were weak. Jackass. So what kind of Pokémon does he have besides those?_

  
"Hey, are we going to do this or not, airhead?" Paul said, interrupting my thoughts. I shook my fist at him. "Do you want me to knock out your teeth too, asshole? I'm thinking!" I yelled back at him. He barks out a short laugh. "You? Thinking? Don't hurt yourself." He smirks. _Laugh all you want, jerk. We'll see who has the last laugh. Maybe I **can** punch him twice in one day._

  
Brock stood inbetween us, acting as our referee. "Alright, folks. These are the rules for this battle. Each trainer uses three Pokémon. The trainer who has no more Pokémon left to battle with, loses." He announced. Paul and I both nod and for a moment we just stare at eachother. I could tell we were both determined to win. Let's get this started. Ash and Dawn cheered me on from the sidelines. "You can do this Yukina!" Ash cheered. Dawn chimed in with a "Yeah! Kick his ass! But not like you did last time!" "Enough! Let's get this started." Paul said.

  
"Let the battle begin!" Brock yelled out.

  
Paul is the first one to throw out a Pokéball. "Elekid! Standy!" _Oh yeah, he has that dumbass command._ "Are you stupid or something? What kind of command is that?!" I yelled at him. He scoffed. "Just shut your mouth and call out your Pokémon, already!" He yelled back. I felt my eyebrow twitching slightly. _Don't tell me what to do, fucker._ "Fine! Come on out, Marshall!" I shouted as I threw my Pokéball. Out comes my Wooper. "Woopah." It cries with those tiny eyes and blank stare.

  
"A Wooper? You're serious?" Paul asked, confused. I glared at him. "What's wrong with a Wooper?" I asked, not really wanting the answer to that. "I had hoped you would have some strong Pokémon, not a weak little thing like that." He answered, pointing at Marshall, who just stares at him curiously. I frowned. "He's got plenty potential, you know." Paul scoffed. "Whatever, and it doesn't matter that he's a ground type either. Elekid! Use Quick Attack!" Elekid made a noise and runs towards Marshall. "Marshall! Try to dodge it!" But Marshall wasn't fast enough, but got slammed by Elekid. "Marshall! Can you get up? Are you alright?" The little blue Pokémon got up, shakes the dust off and just said "woopah". I sighed in relief. "Alright Marshall, use Mud Sport!" Marshall squinted in happiness and covers the road with mud from his mouth. "Ha! Now Elekid's electric type moves are completely useless!" I smirked confidentely. Paul frowned at me. "As if I didn't know that, airhead. Elekid! Use Swift!" Shit! "Marshall, dodge and use Mud Shot!" The blue Pokémon managed to evade Elekid's attack and hit it in the face with mud. "Dammit!" Paul grunted out. Elekid cried out in pain. "Elekid! Get up!" Paul demanded.

  
I raised my eyebrows. _I have seen him act like this before, how could you treat your Pokémon like that?_ "Hey! Be nice to him!" I yelled at him. He glared at me. "Mind your own business!" He yelled back at me. Elekid was able to stand up. "Elekid! Use swift!" Marshall wasn't fast enough to avoid it, and got hit harshly. "Shit! Marshall! You can do it! Just a little longer!" I call out to my little blue friend. Marshall had scuff marks on his body, but jumped up from his laying down position, ready to have another go. "Alright, Marshall! Use Mud Shot again!" "Not so fast!" Paul yelled. "Elekid! Quick Attack! Now!" Elekid was much faster than Marshall. He slammed into Marshall, knocking him out. I ran towards Marshall, and cradled him in my arms. "Marshall, are you okay?!"

  
"Wooper has fainted! The first round goes to Paul!" Brock announced. _For fuck's sake!_ I held Marshall close to me. "You can take a rest now, Marshall. You were great." I coo'd at my fainted friend.

  
I needed a moment to think. If Wally couldn't hold his own against Elekid, who could? I looked at my two remaining pokéballs, within each of them a dear friend of mine since I started traveling. I didn't want either of them to get hurt, but you can't always get what you want, right? I'll welcome anything, as long as my Pokémon are with me.

  
"Any day now." Paul said annoyed. For a moment I just looked at him. _Impatient much?_ A tired sigh escaped my lips. "Time to fuck him up! Kasabana!" I yelled, as my faithful Bulbasaur leaped from her pokéball.

  
"Kasabana! Use Poison Powder!" I commanded, and almost immediately Kasabana spread around a poisonous mist around Elekid. "Elekid! You better not get poisoned!" Paul demanded, but it was in vain. Elekid was covered in the stuff and has fallen prey to the dust. The smirk on my face was a little forced, because I am unable to be happy about the fact that I hurt the yellow Pokémon. "Kasabana! Use Leech Seed!" I said, ignoring Paul's attempts at threatening Elekid. The seed was planted on the asshole's Pokémon, healing any damage Kasabana might get over time.

  
Paul snarled, which was a clear sign I celebrated a little too soon. "Elekid! Use Thunder Punch!" Ah shit, I have to make sure Kasabana doesn't get hit. "Kasabana! Dodge and use Vine Whip!" As I commanded my Bulbasaur, it dodged Elekid's Thunder Punch by jumping up and onto his head into the air, Vine Whipping him in the process. So far so good? Paul seemed really annoyed, which was a good thing. "You think you're so tough? Let's see how you'll like this! Elekid! Use Brick Break!"

  
Kasabana tried to dodge the attack, but failed. "Kasabana! Are you okay?" I asked him. A determined cry from my Bulbasaur eased my worries. A relieved sigh escaped my lips. This is my last chance. I just needed one more hit on Elekid, and then we're safe for the time being. Defeating this douche is harder than it looks…

  
"Kasabana! Use Vine Whip again for the last time!" I yelled, and Kasabana complied immediately, whipping Elekid a few times. "Elekid! You better not lose this battle!" Paul yelled at the poor Pokémon. "Hey, jackass! Don't be so mean to him!" I yelled back at him. _Honestly, though. Who treats their Pokémon like that?_ "Mind your own business, airhead."

  
Suddenly Brock interrupted us. "Elekid is unable to continue! This round goes to Yukina!" "Woohoo!" I yelled as I jumped up and down. "Way to go, Yukina!" Dawn cheered. "Awesome job!" Ash added. Kasabana came up to me and cried "Bulbasaur!" at me happily. "You were amazing, Kasabana. Can I get a high-five?" As I held up my hand, one of Kasabana's vines smacked against my palm as an improvised high-five. The little green Pokémon smiled at me before crying out again. She's so adorable.

  
"Hn. Pathetic." Opponent douchebag snarled as he returned his Pokémon. "You could be a little nicer to your Pokémon, y'know. Not scared of a little revolution?" Insensitive prick. Some people just shouldn't have Pokémon, especially people like him. He didn't seem to hear me, or he was just ignoring me. "Chimchar! Standby!" Again with the 'standby' crap. It's not even a real command.

  
"Chimchar!" The little red fire-monkey exclaimed, but immediately shuts up after a fierce glare from Paul. Weird. Chimchar seems really scared of Paul, unlike Elekid, who is just as mean as his trainer… Wait a minute. Chimchar is fire-type… Crap. This was not going to end well for Kasabana. "Kasabana! Use Poison Powder!" But before Kasabana could spread the poisonous dust, Paul gave Chimchar a command. "Chimchar! Use Flame Wheel!" _Oh no no no no no no._ "Kasabana! Dodge it!" But it was too late. Chimchar collided with Kasabana before she was able to dodge it. Kasabana struggled to stand up. "Kasabana, I know you can do it! Please stand up!" Kasabana finally stood up, more determined than ever. "Kasabana! Use Vine Whip!"

  
The attack hit, but Chimchar seemed nonplussed and got ready for another attack. "Chimchar! Use Ember!" _Shit!_ "Kasabana! Dodge it, please!" Kasabana had almost no energy left and was hit by the Ember attack. She fell to the ground and doesn't get up. _Goddammit._

  
"Bulbasaur has been defeated! Third round goes to Paul!" Brock exclaimed. Ash and Dawn seemed to be worried about me, but there's no need for that. I was still able to win this. Just wait. "Kasabana, you did great. I'm not angry. I'm proud of you." I told my precious friend as I returned her to her pokéball. "Didn't know your Pokémon were that pathetic." Paul sneered.

  
"Voodoo! Give him hell!" I yelled, as I sent out my Shuppet. With a small cry, Shuppet was released from her Pokéball. "Where the hell did you get a Shuppet?" Paul more or less demanded. "Pshaw, like I'm telling you. Let's just get on with the battle! Voodoo! Use Night Shade!" Suddenly a mirage appeared before Chimchar and attacks him. That wasn't not enough… not by a long shot.

  
Once again, Chimchar used Flame Wheel. It hit Voodoo with great power, but she managed to stay in the battle. How was I ever going to win this? This shitpiss knew exactly what to do without even trying! "Voodoo! Use –" "Chimchar! Use Flame Wheel again and finish it!" "Noooooo!" Chimchar charged Voodoo and it was all over for me. _Goddamn son of a motherfu-_

  
Shuppet has been defeated! The winner of the battle is Paul!"


	3. Paul Steals My Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked how this turned out :) Enjoy

I put Voodoo back into her Poké Ball. I was disappointed, sure, but I wasn't disappointed in my Pokémon. I just hadn't trained enough, and now I have to deal with the consequences. _Which mean I have to travel with Paul from now on too._ "That's too bad, Yukina.." Ash said solemnly, as him, Brock and Dawn approached me. _Is it too late to punch him in the face and just run like hell?_ "Yeah, but maybe if you train with Paul, you might be able to beat him someday! I know you can do it!" Dawn said as she tries to comfort me. "You did everything you could, Yukina, and your Pokémon were amazing." Brock added.

  
"I still lost," I complained, waving my hand at them in a shoo-ing motion. "And now I have to deal with it. We just had an off-day, that's all." I've tried compiling all the reason we might have lost in my head. Marshall was like a stubborn child, refusing to listen to me from time to time. Kasabana has been eating too many poffins in one go. Voodoo has been following bullies around because she likes mean-spirited children. But it's not fair of me to blame my Pokémon for that. In the end, it's my fault we lost.  
"You'll be fine, Yukina." Brock tried to comfort me. "During your travels your Pokémon will start to listen to you better eventually, and you'll get more confident as you go. We believe in you and we'll keep cheering for you." I smiled at him, feeling better at hearing those words. "Thanks, Brock. That means a lot."

  
"Hey! Airhead! Are you coming or what?" Paul said sternly. "Sure, Colonel Dickhead, is it okay if I heal my Pokémon first, or do you seriously expect me to travel with injured Pokémon?" I snarled sarcastically. He just sighed and nods, walked into the direction of the Pokémon Centre. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?" Dawn asks. "You could just bail." She added. I turned to look at her. "Nah, a deal's a deal. We'll be seeing eachother during our travels, won't we?" I replied. She nodded, and said nothing further.

  
"It's getting dark out, so I guess this is goodbye-" I wasn't able to finish my sentence as I am engulfed in the most awkward and uncomfortable group hug I had ever experienced. I'm sure they mean well, but my arms were at a horrible angle on Brock's shoulder and under Dawn's armpit. Ash hugged me from behind, crushing my lungs. "You guys... Please let go of me." I croaked out. They laughed and released me. I smiled at the three of them. "I'm gonna miss you guys. You win lots of gym badges, Ash! Dawn, I'll be cheering for you during your Contests! I'm going to miss your cooking, Brock." I said to them. The three of them smiled at me. "We'll miss your enthousiasm." Brock confessed. I smirked. "Is that what you call it?" He laughed, and gave me one final hug before I went towards the Pokémon Centre.

  
I walked past Paul, who was leaning against the arch of the entryway door, into the Pokémon Centre. Just because I agreed to his stupid bet, doesn't mean I have to talk to him right after losing. I made a beeline for the desk Nurse Joy stood at, and asked her "Hello, Nurse Joy, could you heal my Pokémon for me? I'm going out tomorrow and I need them at their best." She smiled politely and answered "Sure thing! Give me about 30 minutes and they'll be a-okay!" I nodded at her and turned around, looking for Paul. He's nowhere to be found.

  
I lost him already? _I'm not looking for him. I'm not his fucking babysitter._ Instead I went over to one of the couches in the lounge and sat down. All that battling and insulting Paul really did a number on me. I was still wondering why I agreed to this stupid bet. _Paul's an annoying asshole, and the others are actually really nice. Ash is determined to win everything, and he really enjoys Pokémon battles. Dawn really reminds me of the Kimono girls I used to play with as a girl. Brock is such a caring person, and he really reminds me of my brother._

  
I shook my head. Never mind. My thoughts drift back to Dawn again. _She would do really well at those Contests. I haven't known them for very long, but she has it in her to be graceful. She's really pretty and always wears really girly clothes_. I looked down at my own clothes. Green cargo pants, the hem of my pant legs in black army boots. A black tanktop and an orange crop top hoodie. A purple striped beanie. It's not girly like Dawn's clothes, but it's practical enough. _I'm not entering in any contest anyway._

  
Seriously, where the hell was Paul? There were some other trainers in the lounge of the Center, I could ask someone if they saw him. I walked over to this one burly guy with his Scizor. "Yo, have you seen an angry-looking dude with purple hair? About yay high?" I put up my flat hand an inch or two above my head. "Maybe I have. Any other defining features?" _Is this guy stupid or something?_ "Seriously? The guy has purple hair, I don't know any other features that can be more defining than that." I scoffed. The guy seemed really offended and just walked off with a grunt of his own.

  
For some reason, I was starting to get worried. It had been 30 minutes still no sign of him. _He couldn't have left me behind...right?_ "Miss?" Nurse Joy waved at me. "Your Pokémon are ready to go!" Thank god. "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy. They are all healthy?" I inquired. "They sure are!" She smiled and went back to nurse the other Pokémon to health.

  
"Are you finally done?" A familiar voice said. Turning around, Paul's scowling visage greets me. A flare of anger welled up inside of me. "Well, where the hell have you been, shithead? I've been looking for you!" He scoffed. "I've rented us a room for the night, don't complain." _You could have told me that before disappearing in thin air, dick_. I sighed, at least grateful he didn't leave me behind. And got us a room to sleep in! "Fine, fine, let's just dump our shit there." I waved him off.

  
We went upstairs and Paul unlocked the door. The room was sizeable enough. There was just one teensy problem.

  
There was only one bed. A queen bed, big enough for the both of us, but there was just no way that would I even consider sharing a bed with him. _Time to establish dominance._ "Well, I almost feel bad that you have to sleep on the floor, but hey," I shrugged. "We can't always have what we want." I smiled as I walked towards the bed and dumped my backpack on it. "If you think I'm sleeping on the floor, you better think again, shrimp."

  
"Fuck you, douche-canoe. I already lost the fight today, this is my consolation prize and you better think again if you think you can take that away from me." I snarled at him. The glaring contest continues. Finally, he said, "Whatever. I'm getting something to eat." And with that he slammed the door shut behind him. After about five seconds, I released my Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. They cried as a greeting. "Hey guys! I know we lost today, but don't fret! We're going to stuff our faces and forget about today and starting tomorrow, we're going to train in earnest again!" They cry in agreement and the four of us go downstairs to the cafeteria to eat.

  
The Cafeteria's cozy interior is easily visible from the lounge, with lots of booths and tables. A neon lit sign depicting Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon dressed as chefs is hanging on the wall. The four of us sit down at a booth near the window.

* * *

  
I really shouldn't have eaten that much. My stomach was about to explode. Thank goodness the food at the Pokémon Centre is for free, otherwise I'd have to sell whatever dignity I had left after agreeing to travel with Paul. My Pokémon were in a food coma, so it was time to hit the hay. I hadn't seen Paul ugly mug in a while, thankfully he didn't watch me eat. I've been told by Dawn that I look like a hungry Ursaring when I do. I snickered at the memory. I walked up the stairs to our room and tried to open the door. Not even budging. What the hell? It's locked! Motherfucker! He locked the door on me! "Paul, open the door." No response. _Do I really have to raise my voice?_ "Paul, I said, open the door." Still no sign of Paul unlocking the door. _Did he fall asleep? IN THE BED?_ I started knocking on the door. "Paul! Open the door!" I said even louder. Nothing. _Alright, time to make a ruckus._ I banged on the door. "Paul! Open the fucking door, you jackass! You're not cheating me out of sleeping in the bed! Do you hear me! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" I yelled as loud as I can, first banging on the door with my fist. Then my feet. People were opening their doors all around me to check what was going on, but I was too angry to even notice.

  
Finally, I hear his voice through the door. "Are you stupid or something? It's 2 in the morning." He responded. "You promised I could sleep in the bed tonight!" I continued. "I didn't agree to that at all." He retorted. "You didn't have to!" I yelled as I gave the door one final kick, almost knocking it off its hinges. But alas, the sturdy construction made for a formidable opponent. I looked around me and I saw a lot of people looking at me. Their faces showing both uncomfortable laughter and worry. My face turned red from embarrassment. "Take your lovers' quarrell elsewhere!" Someone yelled from down the hall. Almost immediately Paul opened the door and pulled me inside. "Shut up and get in here before we wake up the rest of the Pokémon Centre."

  
I sighed in relief. How embarrassing! I turned to look at Paul to start yelling at him, but I stopped myself. His hair is all over the place, sleep evident on his face. His shoulders less tense than when he's fully awake, more relaxed. Still, I could tell he was annoyed I woke him up. "Why did you lock the door? You knew I was coming back!" He sighed. "It's what I always do. I'm not used to traveling with others." He explained. _That makes sense at least._ I let out a deep breath. "Hopefully people aren't going to be too angry with us tomorrow." I said, as I grabbed my pajama's from my backpack. I turned around to face him. "I'm going to change in the bathroom and get ready for bed, and when I come out, there better be an empty bed for me to sleep in." I grunted pointedly. Without waiting for an answer, I walked into the bathroom. I quickly changed into a long, white larger shirt I've grown fond of and navy shorts, and brushed my teeth. Walked back into the room, and noticed Paul had made some sort of nest of pillows and duvets. _Hehe, that looks comfortable at least._ I made my way to the bed and step in. Before I let sleep take me, a thought ran through my head.

  
_The bed is still warm._


	4. Paul And I Battle Two Hikers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, editing on AO3 is a pain in my ass, but I shall persevere. Some dreams happen and memories mess with Yukina.

_I'm sitting in the backseat of a car. The temperature in the car is hot and sweltering. The iron on the seatbelts is burning my fingers. I look down at my body. I must be 6 or 7 years old. A light blue dungaree and striped socks. My parents are sitting in the front seats, bickering about who knows what. The scenery outside my window is plains of grass. Trees here and there. I look to the seat next to mine. An older blonde haired boy sits next to me. My older brother Daichi. Sweat is dripping down his forehead. Can't blame him. The car is too hot. The skin on my legs stick to the leather car seat._

  
_"Mom, can we pull over please? It's too hot..." Daichi asks. My mom looks behind her, towards Daichi, and puts her hand on his knee. She's a pretty lady. Same blonde hair as me and Daichi. Brown, friendly eyes. "Just a little bit more, Daichi, we'll be home soon." Why were we going home? Where were we even coming from in the first place? What day is it?_

  
_"Quit coddling him, Makoto, he's a big boy now." My father complains gruffly. A graying man, can't tell what his hair color used to be. Maybe a darker blonde or a lighter brown, who knows. A graying mustache graces his face. Stern blue eyes. "We can't pull over yet, we're almost there anyway."_

  
_I breathe deeply. The air is suffocating. It's humid and sweltering, it's hard to breathe. Daichi looks at me and wipes the sweat off my forehead. He starts rummaging under his seat and finds an almost empty water bottle. He hands it to me, "drink something, Yuki." My mother turns to my father, frowning. "Junji, it's been hours. The kids need some air. I also need to stretch my legs. Let's just pull over for a minute and get back on the road." My father sighs. "Fine." He grumbles._

  
_When we finally pull over, I open the car door. A cool breeze passes my face and I sigh in relief. There's a stream close-by. I decide to go over there, just to wash my face and maybe for a drink. I turn to my father. "Don't go without me! Promise!"_

  
_He looks at me a bit flabbergasted, grunts, and says "Yes, I promise, now go." I smiled weakly, and I run towards the stream. I'm tired. My parents and brother are tired. The air in the car was unbearable. I stay too long. They're tired._

  
_They forget to check for me. The last thing I hear is car doors closing, and and engine revving._

* * *

  
I sucked in a deep breath as I shoot up in my bed. My face is as sweaty as I remember it being that day. A tear escaped my eye. I didn't realize when I was younger. It wasn't their fault. They were exhausted, I was exhausted and a shithead for walking too far.

  
After I recollected myself, I looked around the room. Sunlight is streaming through the curtains. I grabbed my watch from the nightstand. 11.45 am. Paul wasn't there. He probably woke up early and went to get breakfast or something. I took a shower, got dressed in the usual and went downstairs. The Pokémon Centre was already bustling with people. I quickly thanked Nurse Joy for the day before, and walked outside. There stood Paul, arms crossed and his eyes shut. _Think you're hot shit, don't you._

  
"Good morning, how was sleeping on the floor?" I asked with a smirk. He opened his eyes and glared at me. "It was fine, the only thing that kept me up was you tossing and turning and grinding your damned teeth." I winced. _Right... THAT_. I scratched the back of my head, not looking at him. "Yeah... sorry about that." And I meant it. "I kind of forgot to mention that. I think Dawn still has my retainer. I tend to do that. Sorry you couldn't sleep because of me." He blinked, probably surprised I apologized. "Don't look so shocked. I know how bad it can get. I used to keep Dawn awake all the time. It hurts like hell too. Did you eventually get some sleep?"

  
He scoffed. "Doesn't matter, let's just get going." I blinked. "Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to ask, where are we going anyway? What's the first order of business?" Paul looked on his map and turned towards me. "Alright, so the first order of business is to go to Oreburgh City. I'm going to defeat the gym leader there, and so you will too, if you can keep up." He sneered. I flipped him the bird and said "Don't get cocky, dildo, I just need to prepare for it." He scoffed, _seriously, is that the only sound his face can make_ , and turns his attention back to the map again. "We'll need to go through Oreburgh Gate. Hope you're not afraid of the dark, airhead." Tch. _Asshole_.

  
So we left Jubilife City and went on our way. I was kind of unsure how to approach our conversations. I thought of just being an asshole to him the entire day, but he **did** let me sleep in the bed. I might as well try to be nice to him. "So uhh... Paul?" He looked at me, ever with a scowl on his face. I felt my face getting a bit flushed. Am I really that bad at normal conversation? "Where uh... where are you from exactly?" I asked him, scratching my cheek. He looked forward again, not answering me for a moment. "I was born in Veilstone City." He finally answered. "Really?" I asked surprised. "I didn't know that. What's it like there?" He turned to me, annoyed, "None of your business." I sneered at him. "Well, fuck me for engaging in conversation. Dick." I crossed my arms, feelings a bit hurt. I was trying, you know? Actually trying. Fuck that noise in the future.

  
I heared him sigh in frustration. "Fine. It was okay. It's a city in the mountains. I live there with my brother." My eyebrows almost raised into my hairline. So he has a brother? Interesting...

  
I let my shoulders sag a bit, seeing that he wasn't used to constant conversation. I could respect that. "So where are you from originally?" He asked reluctantly. He was actually trying not to be an asshole. "I was born in Ecruteak City in Johto. I was good friends with Gym Leader Morty as a kid." I confessed. He seemed surprised. "You were friends with Morty? I beat that guy a whole while back. He was a ghost-type trainer, right?" I gasped. "What, really? I'm still good friends with him! Is that so surprising to you?"

  
He smirked. "No, I'm surprised you had any friends at all to begin with. Although it makes more sense that your one friend only cares about dead things." _Had to go there, huh?_ My eyes narrowed and a grimace appeared on my face. "You had to make a bet with someone to get them to travel with you. Can't make friends the normal way?" Paul stopped smirking and the scowl returns to his face. He shouldered me as he walked past me. _Fine, be that way._ I followed behind him, but his legs are longer than mine, so his natural pace is too fast for me. I tried to keep up, before I eventually shout "Dude, slow down!"

  
He doesn't, so I just did my best to walk as the same pace as him. I could feel my calves burning. What's with the powerwalk?! "So, when do you think we'll be in Oreburgh?" I asked him, short of breath. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "We should get arrive there tomorrow afternoon." I nodded in understanding. _That's not too far away, right?_

  
As we kept walking, I noticed the forest growing thicker with foliage. Big trees and green bushes. The sounds of Pokémon cries can be heard at random intervals. A stream runs along the length of the path. It was getting a bit hot, so I decided to put my hair, that reached my mid-back, in a low ponytail. More practical like that.

  
Later in the afternoon, we encountered a few hikers deep in the forest. They're older men, one has rusty red hair and the other has black hair, both with formidable beards and lugging hiking gear around. They noticed us and held up a hand in greeting. "Ho there, youngsters! Are you planning to go to Oreburgh?" The red-haired one asked. Paul nodded. "Yes, we're on our way to defeat the Oreburgh City gym leader." He answered. The two men looked at eachother, smirking as if in cahoots. "Then how about a battle against us? To see if you have what it takes?" They challenge, not menacing. I chimed in. "Oh! You mean like a double battle?" The black haired one laughed. "Exactly, little lady! Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Boris and this is Jonathan. What do you say? Up for a double battle?"

  
"My name is Yukina and this is Paul." I turned towards him. "What do you think? I've never actually done a double battle before, this might be good practice." Paul considered me for a moment before sighing. "Alright, but this better not turn out to be a waste of time." He said, eyes shut in slight irritation. My teeth clenched out of habit. _I'm willing to bet you've never done a double battle either... Wes Friendless._

* * *

  
The four of us found a nice clearing to have our battle on. Truth be told, I was nervous. _I am completely clueless to Paul's strategies, and he has no idea what mine are. Neither of us have ever done a double battle before, and these guys look like they know their stuff. Should I be worried?_ I glanced at Paul, who is looking over at the two gentlemen who stood 30 feet away from us. Suddenly he turned to me, determination in his eyes, and nodded at me. I collected myself and nodded back at him. My eyes traveled to the men before us. Let's do this.

  
The hikers threw out their Pokéballs first. "Let's go! Geodude!" "You can do it, Sandshrew!" The Pokémon cried out as they were released from their balls. Okay, Sandshrew is pretty cute. My hand searched for Kasabana's Pokéball on my leather Pokéball holster on my hip. It's kind of a no-brainer to use her for this battle. _But Paul has both Chimchar and Elekid, which are both bad picks for this fight. I still have no idea what other Pokémon he has._

  
"Kasabana! Give them all you've got!" I yelled out as I threw my Pokéball. Kasabana jumped out, shakes her body and stands at the ready. I saw Paul grab a Pokéball from his pocket. "Azumarill! Standby!" He calls out. Again with that shit? He seriously needs to stop doing that. And that Pokémon is fucking dope. The blue rabbit-like Pokémon stood ready, almost eager. "Alright, youngster! The first team whose Pokémon have been defeated, lose!" Boris told us. The two of us nodded. _I should probably get Sandshrew first, but I have no clue what Paul wants to do._ Deciding against that in the last minute, I gave Kasabana the order of business. "Kasabana! Use Vine Whip on Geodude!" It hits, but Geodude got up, only a bit damaged. _These guys seem way out of our league already, if a grass attack wouldn't at least put a dent in their defense._

  
"Sandshrew! Use Rollout!" Jonathan commanded. The tiny Pokémon cried in confirmation and rolled up into a ball, barrelling towards Azumarill. _Why hasn't Paul given out a command yet? Sandshrew is really fast and a Rollout can keep hitting if they manage to bring a hit at all._

  
"Azumarill! Block it!" Paul commanded. _Block it?_ As the words left his mouth, Azumarill got into a stance, crossed its arms, braced itself and stopped Sandshrew upon contact. _No way! So fast!_

  
A look of shock graced Jonathan's face, not entirely sure if what had happened actually happened. Sandshrew's attack was blocked, and the Rollout was canceled. _It worked? Well... I guess Paul's training and weird commands actually make sense in that way. This is my chance._ "Kasabana! Use Poison Powder on Sandshrew-" "-Azumarill! Use Bubblebeam!" Kasabana got in front of Azumarill and tried to use Poison Powder on Sandshrew, but got in the way of Azumarill's attack. My green friend cried out in pain.

  
"Paul! What is your deal!" I yelled at him, gritting my teeth.

  
He looked at my from his peripheral and just said "Don't get in the way."

  
_Don't get in the way?!_ "Ha?! What the hell is that supposed to mean!" I demanded.

  
He doesn't answer, and focused his attention back to the battle. "Azumarill! Bubblebeam on Sandshrew!" He commanded again.

  
Sandshrew couldn't get out of the way in time, and got hit by Azumarill's attack. It got back up, obviously in pain. "Geodude!" Boris calls out. "Use Magnitude!" Geodude began to glow a soft brown, indicating it's ready to attack. _Shit! Both of our Pokémon will be hit like this! I looked at Kasabana._ "Kasabana! Jump in the air!" But she was still reeling from Azumarill's accidental Bubblebeam, and doesn't hear me. The ground started quaking, and the Magnitude hits her. _Fuck! It's an 8!_

  
"Azumarill! Jump in the air, now!" Paul demanded. His Pokémon jumped into the air with ease. "Now use Bubblebeam again!" While still suspended in air, the Pokémon lets a stream of bubbles escape its mouth, hitting Geodude square in the face. Geodude fainted.  
"Oh no! Geodude!" Boris cried out in shock. He hurried towards his fallen Pokémon, and returns it into its Pokéball. "You did so well! I'm proud of you!" He said as he carressed the ball that Geodude returned to.

  
Kasabana let out a groan. "B-bulba..." She muttered weakly, before falling to the ground. She's out for the count. _Dammit, Paul._ Picking up my green friend, I softly coo at her. "Sweet baby, it's time to take a rest." And I returned her to her Pokéball. Paul scoffed behind me.

  
"Hn. Pathetic." Another wave of irritation filled my stomach. I whipped around.

  
"If it weren't for your Azumarill not knowing where to fucking aim, Kasabana wouldn't have fainted!" I all but snarled at him.

  
"If your Bulbasaur didn't get in the way of my attack, that wouldn't have happened! Like I said, don't get in the way." He retorted, scowling at me.

  
"That's a dogshit excuse and you know it!" I yelled back at him.

  
"Uhm... guys?" Boris' hesitant voice called out.

  
"What?!" The both of us yelled back, with me whipping my head back at them.

  
"S-should we continue? Or do you need a moment?" Jonathan asked, trembling.

  
Turning to face Paul again, we glared at eachother for another moment. It almost felt as if bolts of lightening were passing through our eyes, meeting in in the middle of our stares. A moment passes, and I sighed in defeat. I shut my eyes. "That's not up to me." I admitted.

  
Paul quirked an eyebrow, but lets it go. I took back my spot on the left of him. Looks like the battle is over for me. _You better not lose this, shithead._

  
Jonathan and Boris looked at eachother, frowns on their faces. They shrugged, and Jonathan got his game face back on.

  
"Azumarill!" Paul called out. "Rollout!"

  
Azumarill lets out a noise of agreement, and proceeded to roll into a ball, and raced towards the tiny ground Pokémon. I watched Azumarill collide with Sandshrew, who cried from the impact. To my amazement, it shook off the attack, ready to strike its opponent again.

  
"Sandshrew! Just a bit longer! Use dig!" Jonathan called out. The ground Pokémon nodded in determination, and burrowed its way into the ground.

  
"Azumarill! You better dodge that!" Paul demanded. I felt anger bubble up inside me.

  
"Paul! Quit saying shit like that! Would it kill you to be a little nicer?!" I snapped at him.  
"Stay out of this!" He barked back, briskly waving his arm to the side as if to silence me.  
The anger inside me was threatening to bubble over. _Do you seriously expect me to just let you walk over me, let alone your own Pokémon?!_

  
"No! I will not 'stay out of this'! Stop talking to your Pokémon like that!" I shouted. Why can't I stop shaking? I felt my face heating up in anger. My chest felt heavy and my heart was pounding. "We're partners in this, dammit, I'm not some sidekick!"

  
He ignored me and focused on the battlefield. Sandshrew hadn't come back to the surface yet, but it would only be a matter of time. I heard a rumble coming from down below. My eyes widened. "Azumarill! Look out!" I yelled in panic.

  
Azumarill looked around in confusion, unable to pinpoint where Sandshrew would emerge. Before I know it, Sandshrew breaches, and attacked Azumarill full force. The blue Pokémon flies up in the air from the impact before landing at Paul's feet. It's out cold, unable to battle.

  
"Tch! How pathetic!" Paul complained loudly, looking down at Azumarill. He returned it into its Pokéball and pockets it. "I told you to stay out of this! Azumarill knew exactly where he was. It's your fault Azumarill lost its concentration."

  
I forcefully grabbed him by his collar, bringing him close to my face. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!" I yelled at him. He grabbed my wrists, trying to pry my hands off of him.

  
"Woah! Calm down, you two!" Boris and Jonathan approached us, Jonathan grabbing me by the arms, effectively loosening my grip on Paul's jacket, seperating us.  
"It's okay! You did really well! Y'all just need to practice more, that's all!" Their effort at calming me down is appreciated, but useless. I was breathing heavily, attempting to kill the rage in my insides.

  
Boris held up his hands as way of easing the tension. "Hey, how about we give you some revives and some potions? That way you can heal your Pokémon without having to go all the way back to the Jubelife." I blinked in surprise, anger almost forgotten.

  
"That would be very helpful, thank you." I answered. Jonathan let go of me, smiling a bit tentitavely. I gazed at Paul, still feeling my anger coil in my stomach. _I can't believe him._ Boris handed me 4 revives and a handful of potions.

  
Jonathan put a hand on my shoulder. "Try not to let your anger get the best of you. You're partners, just try your best and get through this." He assured me.

  
"Boris and I used to bicker all the time when we were younger. We were horrible at double battles, believe it or not! But eventually, after working together, we managed to put aside our differences and look at us now!" He confessed, hands on his hips, in a proud stance. _Maybe so, but neither of you guys seem like arrogant, cantankerous pricks, though._

  
I put the revives and potions in my backpack. I regarded the two hikers before nodding at them. "Thanks for the battle and the advice. We should probably be going now." I said to them.

  
Boris waved his hand in a dismissing motion. "It was no problem, youngster. We hope to see you two again in the future. Then we can see if you've gotten any better." He smiled.  
Jonathan nodded. "We'll be rooting for the both of you! Take care!" He smiled as well, and waved us goodbye.

  
I turned around. Paul was already walking ahead. To the best of my power, I tried to catch up to him. _Stop walking so fast!_

* * *

  
After walking for a while, I noticed it was getting dark. Breathing out a sigh and putting my dignity aside, I turned to Paul. "We should probably set up camp or something."

  
He glanced at me, and nodded. We made our way to a clearing. Looking around, I haphazerdly gathered some fallen stick and branches for a campfire. _Now how do I make a fire again..? I'm **not** going to ask **him** for help._ An idea popped into my mind. After arranging the firewood into a neat little pile, I call out Voodoo. It's getting darker by the minute, but Ghost types can see in the dark just fine.

  
"Hey, girl. Use Will-O-Wisp on the sticks, yeah?" I asked her. With an eager "Shup!", a small ball of fire escapes her mouth. It landed on the pile of sticks, and a fire crackled to life. "Thanks, girl. That should be it for now." I said as I returned her to her Pokéball. Slinging my backpack off my shoulders, I began rummaging through to find my sleeping bag. It's electric blue with red seams, that were starting to tear a bit from old age. I gazed at it for a moment, holding it about arms length away from my body. _I should get rid of it, but it has served me so well._ I snuck a peek at Paul, who was also laying down his sleeping bag, and noticed neither of us have a tent to sleep in. _Guess it's looking at the stars for the both of us._

  
I lay it down, close enough to the fire to feel its warmth, but not close enough for the embers to suddenly burn me. My stomach started rumbling. _Fuck, when was the last time I ate..?_ I dug my hand back into my backpack once again, searching for something, anything. Gotcha! My hands wrapped around whatever I had found. The familiar crinkling of plastic packaging is welcoming to me. _Hell yeah_. To my disappointment it's some sort of granola bar. Ugh. Oran Berry flavor.

  
Pinching my nose, I turned to Paul. "Hey, I don't assume you have any other food on you?" I asked reluctantly.

  
He glanced at me sideways. "You didn't bring any food with you? What kind of trainer are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

  
With slumped shoulders, I admitted,"Uh... Brock usually makes food, so I never really thought of it...", pursing my lips.

  
"That really is a reoccurring problem with you, isn't it." He sneered at me.

  
"Excuse me?" I asked affronted. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

  
He stood up, dropping the sleeping bag he was holding. "You heard me. If you just listened to me and stayed out of it, we wouldn't have lost that battle today."

  
Anger flared up inside of me for what must have been the 5th time that day. "How dare you! I was trying to help you!"

  
"Help me?" He barked out a laugh. "If that's what you call help, then I don't need it. If you hadn't yelled out to Azumarill, no, if your Bulbasaur had just stayed where it was, it wouldn't have been hit by Azumarill's attack in the first place!"

  
Clenching my jaw almost painfully, I pointed at him. "If you had taught your Pokémon to aim like you taught them to 'standby' and 'block', then we wouldn't even have this problem!"

  
"If you had trained your Pokémon properly, that Bubblebeam wouldn't have done the amount of damage it did. It's hardly my fault you're a sad excuse of a trainer." He snarled back at me.

  
My eyed widened, shocked at his harsh criticism. _I really shouldn't have expected anything different from him._ Blinking away angry tears that threatened to blur my vision, I angrily stomp towards my sleeping bag. I kicked off my boots carelessly, and slipped in, facing away from him, eyes fixed on the darkness of the forest. I heard Paul sigh deeply in exhasperation, and the material of his sleeping bag rustled.

  
When I think I'm sure he's asleep, indicated by his even breathing, I let the tears go. A quiet, wet sob escaped me.

  
_This was a mistake..._


	5. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changing the way I do titles. It becomes a bit repetitive to put Paul's name at the front of every chapter, so I decided to go with this. Honestly it was supposed to be a working title, but whatever. It's there now.
> 
> Also, know this; I looked up studies on air circulation in caves and read through the entire bloody thing, just to make sure I wasn't talking out of my ass.

The sun was barely coming up when I woke up. My body shook from the cold morning air. I sat up in my sleeping bag, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. A yawn escaped my lips and my back arched out of its own accord. I peered over at Paul. He sat on top of his sleeping bag, already fully clothed. _Oh yeah, after last night, neither of us bothered to change into PJ's._ He was staring off into space, still recovering from sleep. Sighing, I pulled my face side to side, effectively cracking my neck. That seemed to snap Paul out of his funk, as his eyes widened briefly before resting on me.

I looked away. I was still hurt from the night before. _He called me "a sad excuse of a trainer"._ Huffing, I got up and started to pack up my stuff. I ran my hand through my hair as a makeshift brush, my fingers getting caught getting caught in one of the many piercings embedded into my right ear. _I'm not looking for that thing right now. I just want to get to Oreburgh._ I'll be sure to take a long shower there. Paul began packing up as well, and threw something to me. A granola bar, but this one was Pecha Berry flavored. I looked at him in question, but he looked away, munching on his own granola bar. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I unwrapped the minimalist breakfast and ate it slowly. I took in the sunrise. The sky was a myriad of colors, ranging from a dark blue and lilac to almost light blue and a soft yellow. After I finished eating, I slowly pick at my teeth, getting rid of the granola residu between them.

We still hadn't said anything to eachother yet. What was there to say? But despite that, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was a bit tense to be sure, but that was because I had nothing to say that hasn't already been said.

Slinging my backpack on my shoulders, I stared at the ground. Paul stood in front of me, studying my face. My eyes dart up to his, and I nodded.  _Let's just go._

* * *

  
_You have **got** to be kidding me._  
We stood in front of the entrance to the Oreburgh Gate, but we were met with an unwelcome sight. Construction workers and Pokémon were walking to and fro, lifting up pieces of rock and debris. The sun was higher in the sky, it must have been around 10 am. Massaging my temples, I approached one of the construction workers.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I asked. The man noticed me and turned to face me.

"Oreburgh Gate caved in last night, so no one can go in until we've gotten rid of the debris blocking everything." He explained.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Do you have any idea when that will be?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

The man stroked an imaginary beard and pressed his lips together. "Hmmm... Probably by tomorrow evening." He finally said.

Surpressing a groan, I thanked him, and looked at Paul and shook my head. "No dice." Are the first words I said to him. He sighed, and ran a hand through his purple locks. _I know this isn't my fault, but why do I feel so guilty?_ Suddenly I had an idea.

"M-maybe we can go deeper into the forest and find another way in. Another part of the cave maybe? One that hasn't collapsed?" I suggested. He seemed deep in thought for a moment, before nodding and walking off the path that we were previously on. I hurried behind him.

"It might work. If we just keep walking this direction, following the curve of the mountain, we might find another cave entrance." He said to me. I nodded wordlessly. _I know I suggested it, but I really don't want to go into a cave._

The forest was tighter than before. Trees are closer together and the sun barely shined through the tree tops. There were bushes we had to climb over. Paul pushed away some low hanging tree branches, and waited for me to go past him. I nodded at him in thanks. We continued walking in silence.

Until I decided to kill said silence by talking. "So uh... Thanks for the food earlier." That's the stupidest conversation starter you've come up with so far.

"Don't mention it." Paul said curtly without even looking at me. Great, now the conversation has run dry. Never do that again. I firmly rubbed the heel of my hand against my temple. _Just be quiet until we find another cave entrance, then you can make a fool out of yourself again._

About an hour later, without any talking, we found the mouth of a cave. _Lo and behold, I was actually right_. We stood in front of the entrance for a few moments, him a hand on his hip, me with my arms crossed, unsure how to proceed next. I examined the cave entrance for a moment. Air was passing through. So that meant an opening to the other side at least. Catching Paul's attention, I nodded in confirmation that we could proceed. Tentatively, we entered the cave.

* * *

 

_it's dark._ And with dark, I mean, pitch black. And it's cold. Wringing my hands together, I took a few steps closer to Paul, despite being barely able to actually see him. _There's no way I'm getting lost in here._ I swallowed away the lump in my throat, and reached out for his back, grabbing a small handful of his jacket. He tensed up.

"What are you doing?" He whispered harshly at me.

"I can barely see in here, I don't want to get lost!" I whispered back. "Fine, but be quiet. There's no telling what else is in this cave." He grunted, but didn't shake me off. Slowly but surely we felt our way through the cave.

Water droplets falling onto stone can be heard left and right. The only sound besides that were our tentative footsteps, echo's bouncing off the cave walls. As time passed, I could feel the damp atmosphere of the cave seeping into my clothes. A cold shiver traveled down my spine. _We could have just waited another day or so, but noooo, I just had to suggest this great fucking idea._

The hand that wasn't holding on to Paul's jacket unexpectedly met with air instead of a wall. "Paul." I whispered softly. "The wall curves here, I think. It might be another passage."

"It's the same here." He whispers back. My eyes slowly got used to the dark, and I could almost see the outline of his silhouette.

"I think we should go this direction." I suggested. "I can feel air passing through it."

"No, we have to go **this** direction. This is on the side of the Oreburgh Gate, that way we'll get to the city." He disagreed as he started walking the direction he spoke of.

I pulled at his jacket. "Paul, no." I whispered harsly. "The air flowing this direction is warm, that means an exit. Trust me on this."

He pulled himself loose from my grip. "Listen, my direction is obviously the better choice. It's going in the direction of Oreburgh Gate, which means Oreburgh City. Who knows where your direction will lead us?"

I grit my teeth as I tried to grab his jacket again. "It'll lead us to the outside, that's where. Why won't you just listen to me?" I said, my voice raising a bit.

He slapped my hand away from him. "As if listening to you helped us yesterday." He sneered at me. "If you won't come this way, then fine. Go by yourself."

"Paul, no. If we split up now, we're going to get lost." I said.

"If we do get lost in this cave, it'll be your fault!" He finally yelled. The last two words of his sentence echo through the entire cave. _...your fault... r fault..._  
We stood there for a moment. Chittering noises are heard from deeper within the cave. A feeling of dread washed over me. _Are those..?_

I couldn't finish my inner monologue as a giant flock of Zubat race past us. Letting out a yelp, I panicked, and with pounding heart, I ran into a random direction. I couldn't stop screaming.

"H-hey stop! Calm down, they're just Zubat!" Paul's voice called out to me, but it sounded very far away for some reason. My own heartbeats thundering in my ears, I just kept running, relieved and amazed I hadn't ran into anything yet.

Suddenly the cave floor sloped and I lost my footing, falling on my ass and sliding down the tunnel. My screams echo'd through the chamber. There was almost no end to the slope. _Why am I not slowing down?!_ _I'm going to die!_ With fear seizing my heart, I desperately grasped for purchase in the dark at the slick tunnel walls. _Something! Anything!_ I slid deeper and deeper, faster and faster, until my heels hit a patch of soft dirt, catapulting me into the cold, rock wall.

* * *

  
_I'm a kid again. The seiza position I'm sitting in is as uncomfortable as I remember it being. The smell of incense and tatami floors assaults my nose. A soft shamisen is being played by an older lady in traditional dress. I'm in front of a small stage. Four seemingly identical girls dressed in kimono dance to the music. I know who they are._

_I am intrigued by their formal display. Their dancing is encapturing, despite it just being practice. The people in charge here always let me sit in on the practice before a show._

_One of the girls, the one in green, trips over her own kimono. It's still too long for her small body. Another girl, dressed in blue, stops dancing and bends over to pick her up._   
_The music stops and the old lady bangs one of her fists on the floor. "Sumomo! Koume!" She bellows._

_The other girls, dressed in yellow and purple, pause mid-dance. The other two look at the old lady with worry on their faces._

_"If you cannot dance perfectly in practice, you can forget about the performance tomorrow! Pick yourselves up! We're starting from the top!" The lady demands._

_"Y-yes, grandmother!" The four girls say in unison, as they gather themselves up to start from the beginning._

_I purse my lips, but say nothing. As the music starts up again, I decide to look around the room, noticing another lady in the back. She's younger than the old bat at the shamisen, and she is sitting with another child, younger than me and the four girls on the stage. The smaller child's magenta hair is peeking out from under her yellow elementary school hat._

_Deciding I want to play outside instead of being in this stuffy environment, I walk over to the lady with the small child. "Auntie, I'm going to play outside." I whisper in her ear. She_ _smiles and waves me goodbye. I slowly open the door and go outside._

_The sun's warm rays welcome me as I step outside. Summer isn't quite over, as the trees around me still have their green leaves. From where I'm standing I can see the Bell Tower, a magnificent building with a golden spire at the top. The giant structure sometimes makes me uncomfortable, afraid of the destruction it could cause, would it ever topple over._

_A harsh yank to the straps of my dungaree dress snaps me out of my thoughts. I yelp as I fall backwards, scraping my elbows in the fall. "What's a twerp like you doing here?"_   
_I look up. It's two boys from Daichi's class, Takumi and Ryota. They always bully Daichi, but for some reason, their new target is me. I press my lips together, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of an answer._

_They smirk, getting closer to me. "I heard from my mom that Ryota's mom told her that your parents up and left. Is that true?" Takumi sneers. Blinking away tears, I shake my head no._

_"Whaaat? Skitty got your tongue or something? Besides, it's not polite to lie to your elders." Ryota jeers at me._

_Takumi gets really close to my face, grabbing my collar and almost lifting me off the ground._

_"If they haven't left, then where are they? If I was your folks, I would probably've left too!" Takumi smirks._

_In a sudden surge of anger and defiance, I spit in his face. He abruptly lets go off me, wipes my spit off his face, and slaps me. The sting of his palm against my cheek makes my eyes water._

_"You're gonna get it now!" He threatens. But before he can do anything, a shadow draws a line between me and my aggressors._

_I look over at the figure whose shadow divides us. It's a boy, maybe a year or two older than the boys assaulting me. A red and white cap sat atop his brown mop of hair. Brown eyes and eyebrows set into a frown. His red and white jacket flows in the wind._

_"..." He regards the two boys with a glare._

_"What's your deal, huh?" Takumi asks with a sneer. "Mind your own business."_

_"..." The boy shakes his head no, and makes a 'come here' motion with his hands._

_Ryota grins maliciously. "Oh, so it's a battle you want?"_

_The boy nods and gets a Pokéball ready, as do Takumi and Ryota. The two bullies smirk in confidence. "You're gonna wish you hadn't challenged us." Takumi says._

_The battle that ensues is a blur. All I know is that the mysterious boy skillfully wipes the floor with Takumi and Ryota, using his Charizard and Pikachu. Ryota's Hoppip and Takumi's Magnemite don't stand a chance. Not even for a second does he seem to lose any trust in his Pokémon, and vice versa. It almost looks like his Pokémon aren't fighting_ _**for** him, but rather **with** him._

_As the battle plays out, I am watching in amazement, my jaw almost to the floor. Charizard and Pikachu are both so in sync with their trainer, it doesn't seem to matter that one of them is at a type disadvantage._

_After losing, both Takumi and Ryota are angry-crying, and run away cursing. "We'll get you next time, brat! This isn't over!"_

_Mystery trainer walks up to me after returning his Pokémon. He lifts me up on my feet, as I didn't bother getting up during the entire battle. He dusts me off and smiles at me. My face turns a soft pink, boys never smile at me like that, especially not older boys._

_"T-thank you..." I stammer, fidgeting with my hands._

_"..." He remains silent, ruffles the top of my head, and turns around. His jacket flows behind him._

_As I continue to stare as he departs, I hear voices behind me._

_"Hey, who is that?"_

_"Oh, that's Red. He's amazing! He's Kanto's Champion!"_

_"Cool! Do you think he's doing the Johto League next?"_

_Their voices become soft murmers in the background, my heart's pounding in my ears too much._

_I remember thinking to myself "That's who I want to be"._

* * *

  
My head was throbbing. A dull ache along the left part of my face, around my eye. Groaning hoarsely, I slowly sat up, feeling my head. _Oh yeah, I can't fucking see, and I can't tell the difference between water and blood right now._

I sat there in the dark for a few moments, trying to force my eyes to get used to the pitch-black nothingness. After a little while I could see the outline of my fingers at least. _Okay, so what happened again? We get into the cave... Paul and I start fighting again... and then... those fucking zubats fly over and I go batshit insane._

My clothes were wet and clammy, the cold chilling me to the bone. With teeth chattering and head throbbing painfully, I tried to think of a game plan. _What do I do next? I can't risk calling for Paul, the noise might attract something that I'm not prepared to battle anytime soon. I shouldn't blindly try to feel my out of here, who knows what the distance is between here and the nearest exit. If I can even reach one. Besides, if I know anything about being lost, I know that staying put and waiting for help is the best way to go._

Despite reassuring myself, panic started to coil its way through my veins again. _What if I actually die in here? What if Paul never finds me here? Is he even looking for me? Would he even care...?_

A quiet sob escaped me, the thought of being stuck in here circulated through my brain. I curled up and hugged my knees, slumping my forehead onto them to try dampening the sobs that violently wracked my cold body.

"What do I do..." I cried softly. _I must look so pitiful. I really am a sad excuse of a trainer._

My head shot up in sudden realization. _A sad excuse of a trainer indeed. You totally forgot you have your Pokémon with you._

My hands haphazardly searched for my Pokéballs. _I might not have a Fire type Pokémon that can lead me out of here, but I know someone who can do the job just fine._ Letting a soft, almost maniacal giggle escape my lips, I opened one of my Pokéballs.

"Shup!" Voodoo cried out happily. I reached out for her, beckoning her to me.

"Hey girl! I am so glad to see you!" I whispered to her. She came closer to me, allowing me to hold her.

"Shup?" I hear her question.

"Listen, girl. You can see in the dark. I'm a fucking idiot, and I got lost in here. May I grab on to you while you lead me back to Paul?"

"Shup!" She cried out in agreement. The feelings of panic in my veins almost completely evaporated.

Holding on to the wall, I stood up slowly, and I felt the blood rushing to my head fast. The dull ache became heavier, and I grabbed onto the side of my head that throbbed painfully.  
Voodoo moved around a bit, putting her head under the hand I wasn't holding against my head, and coaxed me to grab onto her flowy body. She began moving, and I followed.

We walked for a long while in the pitch-black. We made turns, and every so often, she would let out a cry, warning me for either low ceilings or holes in the tunnels. I followed her every command, knowing for a fact that she would try to get me out of here to the best of her power.

After walking for who knows how long, I heard a voice and footsteps in the distance. It was far away to be sure, but its echoes bounced off the walls.

"..ukina?" Was it him?

"Paul?" I answered loudly. The footsteps stopped. A shifting of footing.

"...ukina!" There it was again. It's him!

"Paul!" I cried out. "Let's go, girl. You can do it." I encouraged Voodoo, who cried in answer.

At the same slow pace as before, we continued walking again. _No point in rushing it. I'm following Voodoo, and I don't trust the environment to not fuck me over._

"Paul!" I yelled out again. _Please answer me, let me know you're closer._

"Yukina!" His voice sounded, closer than before.

In the distance I could see a faint light illuminating further away in the tunnel. It was coming closer.

I gave Voodoo a tiny tug. "That's where we need to go, girl. Take your time."

"Paul!" I shouted out. "Just keep coming forward!"

"Alright!"

The light was very close right now. I could make out the silhouettes of Chimchar and Paul. Voodoo began moving a little faster, for sure attracted to the flame coming from Chimchar. To show them where we were, Voodoo used Will-O-Wisp, the weak flames barely illuminating the tunnel, but working as some sort of flare.

After a few moments, I decided to stand still. Voodoo was more visible, and she looked back to me in question. I nodded at her with a smile. Let's just take a moment. Let him come to us.

She seemed to understand me, and promptly decided to rest on my shoulder with her small body.

Chimchar was the first one to notice me. He ran towards me happily, but barely stopped short from leaping into my arms as he took a look at my face. _I must look terrible._

"What do you think you're doing, Chi-" Paul ran behind Chimchar, but couldn't finish his sentence. My face was illuminated by Chimchar's flame, and I didn't exactly have a mirror on hand. Paul was looking at me with widened eyes in shock. He grabbed onto my shoulder with one hand.

"What the hell happened to you? You look like shit." He said. _Whelp, there it is._

I chuckled. "I have no clue honestly. I remember panicking because of the Zubat and just running. Next thing I know I'm falling down a tunnel and then..." I trailed off.

"There's blood and grime all over your face. We should get you to a hospital."

"No." I shook my head, trying to ignore the pain pulsating through it. "We might as well continue on. I'll be fine, the bleeding stopped a while ago."

Paul frowned. "Are you stupid? You're so pale, I thought you were a ghost!"

"Paul." I cut him off. "I will be fine."

He grunted, but didn't say anything further. I could tell from the way his lips were pressed together he wanted to argue some more, but decided not to.

"Voodoo, can you survey the area for us?" I asked the small Ghost Pokémon. Voodoo nodded and passed through the wall on my right.

Suddenly I felt myself getting lightheaded. I slumped onto my knees with a groan. The dull ache in my head made me clutch onto the left side of my face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Paul asked. _Was that worry I heard in your voice?_

"I'm okay. I'm okay. It's just a dizzy spell. I'm obviously confused." I reassured him.

"Voodoo should be back in a little while." I propped myself up in a sitting position against the wall. I patted the space to my right, coaxing Paul to sit down.

He didn't say anything, but sat down anyway. We both sat with our backs against the wall, Chimchar eventually deciding to sit in my lap to keep me warm. Nothing was said for a little while until I opened my mouth.

"I'm sorry I panicked." I apologized. Not feeling like looking at him, I just stared my feet that were stretched out in front of me.

"Don't be. It was because of me those Zubat flew over anyway, so I probably shouldn't have yelled at you." He admitted. Okay, so it's not technically an apology, but I'll take it.

"Yeah... Probably." I said quietly.

"Hold on, how did you get here? I know you fell down here, but how did you get here?" He asked perplexed.

"Ghost Pokémon can see in the dark, and I decided to use my natural advantage to try and find a way out." I explained.

"Color me impressed that you're tougher than most trainers." He seemd to reluctantly admit.

I turned to face him.

"Tell me honestly. How bad is it?" I said, referring to my face.

A snort escaped him. "Pretty bad."

"Hehe, I thought so." I laughed softly. "It's probably all dried in my hair too." I said, touching my head softly. It's in that moment when I realized I had lost something.

"Shit." I cursed. "My hat's gone." Sighing, I let my hand fall on the ground in defeat. _No way am I going to find that thing in here._

"So? It's just a hat." Paul said abrasively.

I didn't answer him, it seemed pointless to explain the sentimental value of that thing.

"Shuppet must be here soon." I answered curtly.

Paul stood up and held out his hand to me. Chimchar jumped off my lap with a small chitter. Without a word, I clasped my hand around Paul's wrist and he did the same with mine, quickly lifting me up.

My head didn't hurt as much, but the sudden blood rushing to my head almost made me buckle over if it weren't for Paul's hold on me.

As if on cue, Shuppet reappeared, her body flying through the wall. "Shup!" She cried while floating around me.

"Hey, girl. Did you find a way?" I asked while petting her head. The tiny Ghost Pokémon nodded her head and floated away slowly. _That's the way to go._

Paul and I nodded at eachother, and with Chimchar following Voodoo, we made our way to what we hoped would be an exit.

* * *

  
When we finally got out of the cave, the afternoon sunlight hurt my eyes and made me squint them shut for a moment. Oreburgh City was a welcome sight. _We made it..._

I let out a deep sigh, before my knees buckled from under me. _At least that nightmare is over._

Looking over at Paul, I noticed quite a few things I hadn't before. His clothes were dirty, his face was littered with grime and his hair was once again a mess. I giggled, Paul snapped his head in my direction and frowned.

"Have you seen yourself?" This just made me laugh harder, because of course I looked worse than him, but it was a neat sight to see him look different from his immaculate self.

Paul's eyebrows were still set in a frown, but a tiny smile graced his face, which disappeared as soon as it came.

"Come on." He said, holding out his hand to me. "Let's get you to a hospital."

I grabbed onto his wrist again and allowed him to pick me up, but I was too exhausted and whatever was wrong with my head started to act up again. Paul sighed in frustration.

"Damn, you're hopeless." He complained. He grabbed my left arm and put it along his shoulders, holding onto my waist with his right hand and giving me ample support.

Without saying anything, we made our way to the nearest hospital.

* * *

  
"Goodness, what happened?!" A nurse with dark brown hair yelled out in worry as soon as she saw us walking through the revolving door of the hospital entrance. She hurried to us, and took me over from Paul, supporting me herself.

"She fell down a tunnel in a cave." Paul answered. The nurse looked at me with a question in her eyes.

"Yeah, and I think I hit my head down there." I added with a groan.

The brunette nodded and began leading me through one of the doors next to the reception desk. Paul started to follow us, but another nurse with black hair stopped him.

"Hey, you can't go in there yet." She said to him.

Paul balled his fists. "And why the hell not?" He demanded.

The black haired nurse sighed. "Someone needs to fill in this form for her, young man. You just have to wait there for now." She answered with an aloof lilt in her voice, gesturing to the many seats of the waiting area.

In the slow pace the brunette nurse had set for me as we walked towards the doors, I looked back at Paul, who furrowed his eyebrows as he watched me be taken away. I tried to smile at him reassuringly, which may as well have been a grimace.

The door closed behind us and I couldn't see him anymore.


	6. Scars

 

The brunette nurse brought me to a small examining room. It had soft green walls with white borders. Next to the examining table was another room. She led me through the door way and it appeared to be a bathroom with a small shower. She ordered me to strip, because A) I was filthy and B) I needed to be at least clean so she could see what the damage was to my head. Apparently it wasn't necessary to stitch me up immediately.

I took off my clothes and handed them to her, not at all bothered by my naked body in front of the older woman.  _She's a professional, it's not like I have anything she hasn't seen before._  She stayed in the room, however, and turned on the shower for me. There was no shower curtain to speak of, so she could monitor me as I washed myself.

Turning my back to the nurse, I heard her gasp in shock. Turning to her in question, I then moved towards a long mirror embedded in the wall. My back was marred with small cuts and angry bruises.  _Must have happened during my tumble down the tunnel._

Stepping under the shower, I almost immediately yelped loudly.

"W-why is it so damn cold?!" I shrieked from the ice cold onslaught on my body.

"If you shower warm, your blood might not coagulate appropriately." She explained simply.  _Alright, but that doesn't mean I have to like it._

Huffing, I quickly dunked my head under the constant stream of ice water. The nurse handed me a bar of soap, and I aggressively began scrubbing myself in an effort to get the grime of my body. The door opened, and the brunette handed my clothes to a pair of hands that appeared from the doorway, their vision of me obstructed by the door. It shut, and I was alone with the nurse again.

"Someone is going to wash your clothes for you." She said to me.

I nodded and continued scrubbing. When I got to my head, a stinging pain in my forehead made me pause.  _Fuck, that hurts. Gotta take it easy._  And I carefully washed my face with just water.

The nurse turned off the shower after I stopped washing myself, handing me a towel that has long served its purpose and could barely absorb any moisture.  _Better than nothing._

She handed me some scrubs and took my hand, leading me back to the examination room. Setting me down on the bed, washing her hands vigorously, she took a flashlight and examined my eyes.

"Hmmm... no unusual dilation. You said you were knocked out, correct?" She asked me.

I nodded and she wrote something on a hospital chart she pulled out of a drawer.

"Ahuh... did you vomit afterwards? Trouble seeing?"

Shaking my head no, I watched her write more things on the chart. She sighed and surveyed me.

"Alright, you don't seem to have a concussion. Let me take a look at that cut on your head."

* * *

The cut had stopped bleeding, but the nurse, whose name I learned was Miss Naoki, thought it was best to stitch me up anyway. What I didn't know was that the cut was as big as it apparently was. It started right above my left eyebrow, along the arch of it. It miraculously missed my eye, but it traveled in a hook curving to the left under my eye instead.

"You don't have to worry about coming back and getting the stitches removed. The stitches will melt on their own as your skin heals." Miss Naoki explained.

I softly traced said stitches. The material felt coarse under my fingertips and my skin was pulled taut.

"...Will there be a scar?" I asked quietly.

Miss Naoki wasn't looking at me as she spoke. "Yes, there will be, but that will take a little bit. After the stitches dissolve, the skin will still be tender and a bit raw, but in time the cut will fade."

Tears pricked in my eyes, blurring my vision. I sighed showing my disappointment in knowing that my face will be permanently blemished by this accident.  _What a stupid mistake._

"This trivial matter is nothing to worry about, sweet thing." She said with a small laugh as she put her arms around me in an embrace.  _No matter to worry about? I'm hideous._

I said nothing, allowing the woman to hold me in her arms. I was going to live with this awful thing on my face for the rest of my life. How could I not worry?

"You young people..." Miss Naoki said wistfully. "Always so worried about how you look and what others think. Do you want to know what I think?"

I looked at her, and she was smiling. Nodding, I awaited her answer.

" **I**  think you look pretty badass." She said with a grin. I snorted, realizing Miss Naoki wasn't that old, but it's still weird hearing those words from an authority figure like a nurse. But despite her attempt to reassure me, I was still incredibly sad about the wound marring my face.

Someone knocked on the door, prompting Miss Naoki to let go of me and walking towards it. She opened it a little bit, but I couldn't see who it was.

"Oh! You're her friend, right?" My heart sank into my stomach. I turned my head to the side so only the right side of my face was visible.  _Can't let him see it yet. Not with her here. She'll put him on the spot._

Paul stepped inside and spotted me. He leisurely sauntered over but said nothing. Miss Naoki saw this as her cue to go, and closed the door.

I crossed my arms but I didn't look at him. Paul had his hands in his pockets.

"So, how bad is it?" He asked me. It was the same question I had asked him back in the cave, in reference to my face.

"You tell me." I said simply, while slowly showing my face to him. He made a noise as if his breath was stuck in his throat.

I lowered my head in shame. "That bad, huh?"

"I expected it would be  **much**  worse, but it really isn't that bad." He said to me. I looked up at him, surprised, and his face looked a tiny bit softer than usual.

"You think so?"

"Honestly, it might look a little raw and painful now, but think of it this way." He moved so he could sit next to me on the side of the bed. "Think of it as a reminder that you made your way out of a dark ass cave without a flashlight, and you used your intuition as a trainer to get out."

This made me perk up, and I realized he was right. Despite making the mistake of panicking, I did get out, with the help of my Pokémon.  _So he admitted that I'm at least somewhat capable._

We were silent for a couple of moments.  _It may take some time, but I'll need to come to terms with the fact that I have a scar smack dab on my face._

Paul turned to me. "I'm guessing you need to recuperate from that whole ordeal, so we'll take a day or two to train our Pokémon appropriately for the gym battle."

"Thanks. They should let me out soon, they're washing my clothes right now. Wanna play cards in the meantime?"

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You brought cards with you?"

"I needed something to entertain me while traveling with Ash and his friends. They're cool, but I get bored easily, and I don't want to bother them with being impulsive and doing stupid shit. So cards it is. I usually played Solitaire by myself, though." I grin as I searched through my backpack.

 _Gotcha._  I thought to myself as I plucked a metal case out of my bag. I opened it up and I let the old worn playing-cards slide out.

"Where did you get those? Those seem ancient." Paul complained.

I barked out a short laugh. "My parents gave them to my brother as a gift. They were on a working holiday in Kalos, and found a pack of cards in a gift-shop somewhere. My mom thought the pictures of Pokémon on them were adorable. And they look ancient because I play with them all the damn time."

"If they were a gift to your brother, why do you have them?" He asked.

"My brother is traveling either in Kalos or Unova. Before he left, he gave me his playing cards because he knows I've been pining for them for years." I explained as I shuffled the cards. "The game is Bullshit, by the way."

* * *

 

"Ace of spades." I announced proudly.

"Fuck you, that's not an ace of spades." Paul sneered.

"It's not? Take a look, make my day."

Paul did not take my bluff and turned the card over I had put down. Two of clubs. I grit my teeth in slight annoyance.

"Dammit, Paul. Why would you do that to me?" I asked melodramatically.

"Just shut up and take the damn pile."

I glanced at the sizable pile of cards in the middle of the bed.  _And I was so close to clearing my hand too..._

We had been playing for the greater portion of an hour and we weren't even close to finishing the game. I had seen through a couple of Paul's bluffs, and I had guessed wrong a couple of times. Everyone has a tel, but Paul's a tough cookie to crack. He would only show emotion when I would call him out on his bluff. His eyebrows would twitch for just a fraction of a second if he had lied. If not, then he would be his usual stoic self and I would know I had fucked up.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Miss Naoki stepped in, my clothes in her hands.

"Your clothes are clean, and they're still warm from the dryer." She said to me.

"Thank you so much for this, Miss Naoki." I said. I would have put on my spare clothing, but they were in need of a wash as well, and I'd rather wait a few hours than wearing dirty clothes.

"No problem, honey." She said, and then she turned to Paul. "Go outside, please. Yukina'll be there in a moment."

"She doesn't need to stay overnight?" Paul asked.

Miss Naoki shook her head no. "Aside from the cuts and bruises, there is really no reason to keep her. She just needs a lot of rest."

Paul nodded, got up from the bed and walked out the door. Miss Naoki handed me my clothes, and walked out as well, leaving me by myself. I slowly got up and slipped out the scrubs. Groaning from the pain in my body, I slowly dressed into my now warm clothes.  _How long will it take for my body not to hurt like hell?_

Putting on my bra proved difficult. The bruises and cuts on my back were still a bit raw and having my bra squeeze them was uncomfortable. I shook my head.  _I just got to deal with it for now._  I pulled on my pants, which would have been way easier were it not for the fact that my jostling around putting them on made my head throb painfully. I quickly resumed dressing myself, painfully having to crouch down to put on my boots. After finishing, I grabbed my backpack and walked out the door.

I couldn't see Paul anywhere, so I went to the waiting area to see if he was there. He was, and once he noticed me, he nodded in greeting and motioned for us to go outside. I thanked Miss Naoki for taking care of me and she hugged me. "You be careful now. I don't want to see you in here again." She joked as she let go of me.

I smiled at her. "No promises." I joked back. She laughed loudly and handed me some tubes and bottles. "For the healing process. Just gently put them on the wound every morning and don't touch it with unwashed hands." She told me.

I turned to Paul. "So where do you want to go?" I asked him.

"Let's just get to a Pokémon Centre." He said. Following him out the door, I noticed the sky had turned a dark tint of orange. Twilight was setting in. I looked around me. The city was settled in a valley, surrounded by tall mountains and lush greenery. The sounds of Murkrow and other nighttime Pokémon could be heard overhead on rooftops. People were walking left and right, returning home after a long day of work. A few Machokes and Gravelers were following some constructions workers.  _Probably came back from the mines._

* * *

 

The first thing I noticed when we finally arrived at the Pokémon Centre was that there were a couple of kids sitting in the lounge, looking defeated. One boy looked close to tears, clenching the hem of his shorts with his fists.  _Lost the gym battle maybe?_

A small child walking with a Clefairy and a lady who I assumed was her mother walked past, and the girl couldn't stop staring at me.  _Damn stitches._

Paul walked towards the front desk. "Can we have a room for the night?" He asked Nurse Joy.

"Certainly! Here you go. Remember, curfew is at 11 PM." She told us as she handed Paul a key with a room number tag attached to it.

"Hey, Paul." I started. "Before we go up, can we go eat something? I'm starving."

He nodded, and we walked towards the Cafeteria. It looked almost identical to the Cafeteria in Jubelife City, except the colors on the walls were more earthy. The booth seats were also a soft yellow instead of bright red. The sign with Pokémon and their trainers dressed as chefs was hanging on the same place as it had in Jubelife. We decided on a booth in the back corner of the Cafeteria.

I grabbed my Pokéballs and let out my friends. Voodoo twirled around happily, relieved we weren't in a dank cave anymore. Kasabana stretched her legs, and Marshall just stared at me with a blank expression. "Hey guys. It's time to eat!" I told them. They perked up immensely, happy at the promise of food.

"Don't your Pokémon want to eat?" I asked Paul. He grunted in annoyance, and begrudgingly let out his Pokémon. Chimchar, Elekid and Azumarill jumped out, looking at Paul with curiosity. He looked the other way and just said "We're gonna eat."

I frowned but didn't ask any questions about his weird way of interacting with his Pokémon. I was too tired and too hungry to anyhow. We sat down and not a moment later a black haired girl came up to our table.

"Hi! Welcome! Can I take your order?" She asked us. She turned to Paul, but promptly fixed her attention on me as he glared at her.

"I'll have some Curry Rice and Moo Moo Milk, please." I told her. She nodded and faced Paul again. He had his arms crossed as he relaxed in the seat.

"Vegetable stir-fry." I kicked him under the table and glared at him. "Now."  _Nope, wrong answer._  I kicked him again. "Please." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"Alright, I will bring all that and some Pokémon food as well." The waitress said and left after having written down our orders.

As she walked away, I noticed some people in the cafeteria had turned their heads to look at me. Some seemed curious, others just a bit short of disgust or fear. For a moment I was confused.  _Is there something on my face?_  And then I remembered the stitches and I lowered my head, ashamed. Marshall looked up at me from his perch on my lap, confused. Kasabana looked at me with worry and Voodoo hovered close to me.

"What are you doing?" Paul asked gruffly. He looked around the cafeteria from his seat. He abruptly stood up.

"Switch with me." He said.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you deaf? Switch with me." He repeated. Kasabana jumped under the table and got on the seat where Paul was sitting. I stood up, picking Marshall up in my arms and went over to sit the other side of the table. Now my back was facing the rest of the cafeteria, obscuring my face from any onlookers. Paul sat down as well, scowling at a man sitting at a table near us, who looked away in embarrassment.

"Thanks, Paul. You didn't have to do that." I told him.

"You were being pathetic, and that ruins my appetite." He said flatly.  _So much for being considerate._

"Oh, I'm sorry my inner turmoil is such a bother to you. I'll be sure to remember that next time, when I need to get my leg amputated." I argued sarcastically.

"But then it affects me as well, traveling with a wheelchair is a hassle." He quipped. I barked out in laughter. Paul joking around, albeit abrasively, is in and of itself bizarre.

In that moment, I decided I would be more frank with Paul.  _Being honest with him might make him more inclined to be more honest with me. Or at least make us understand each other more._

"You want to know a weird thing I used to do as a kid?" I asked him.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Implying you don't do weird things now?"

"Touché. I just got reminded of it being in here." I explained. "I used to play with the salt and pepper shakers when at restaurants with my family and pretend they were people going off on adventures."

He snickered. "Okay, that is weird." He admitted.

"Hey, man. Dinner table conversations are boring as hell when you're a kid. I needed to entertain myself somehow, and playing with my food would only result in a lecture."

"Something tells me you used to play with your food, got told off by your parents, and switched to salt and pepper shakers because of that." Paul remarked.

I crossed my arms and smirked at him. "Now what makes you say that?"

"If you start playing with your food again because you think you won't get a lecture from your parents, you've got another thing coming." He smirked at me.

"But Paul, my inner child is screaming to be let out. I need to let her roam free."

"As of now, your inner child is grounded." He quipped. I pealed with laughter, the conversation getting more bizarre by the second.

After calming down a bit from my laughing fit, I breathed deeply, before I began chuckling and giggling again.

I snapped out of my joyful mood when our food finally arrived.  _CURRY._  The black-haired waitress set my plate of curry in front of me and put Paul's stir-fry in front of him. Another waitress with brown hair came with another serving tray filled with Pokémon treats, and gave each of our Pokémon a bowl.

"Itadakimasu." I whispered to myself before digging in. Paul glanced at me before eating himself.

"Has anyone ever told you you look like a crazy person when you eat?" He asked. I almost choked on my food, so I quickly swallowed what was in my mouth before answering him.

"If I got a dollar every time someone has said that to me, I would be able to buy Silph. Co. twice over."

He didn't press the issue further, and kept eating. I looked over at my Pokémon. I noticed Paul's Pokémon hadn't started eating yet, whereas mine had scarfed down their food almost immediately. Elekid, Chimchar, and Azumarill looked up at me in question.

"It's okay. Just eat!" I coo'd at them. That seemed to be motivation enough for them to start eating. Elekid glared at me before it finally began eating slowly. Frowning, I focused on my food again.

* * *

It was about 9 PM when we finally finished eating. We paid for our food and went upstairs. Paul had given me the key in the meantime, and while we were walking upstairs, I was twirling the key around my finger from its small chain.

"What is the room number?" Paul asked. I stopped twirling the key around and surveyed the tag.

"It's room 004." I answered. Looking around, I found the door to our accommodation. I unlocked it and swung the door open. Two bunk beds on each side of the room and another door on the left wall. I walked towards it and opened it, peering into a dark bathroom.

"Aw hell yeah! Warm shower, here I come!" I whooped. Setting down my backpack and rummaging through it for my pajama's, I made my way into the bathroom. I closed the door and then I opened it again, peering into the room to look at Paul.

"Or did you want to shower first?" I asked.

"Just take a shower, Yukina." He answered flatly.

The bathroom was dark and illuminated slowly when I was frantically searching for a light switch.  _Aha... So it's one of those movement sensitive lamps._  There was just no way I was spending any longer than five seconds in any dark space after today's ordeal. I sighed, and put my pajama's on the washbasin. Above it was a mirror and my bruised and stitched visage greeted me. My mirror image frowned and slowly touched her face, examining the damage.

_It looks really bad... But considering the circumstances, it could have been much, much worse._

Apparently I had lingered in front of the mirror too long as the light promptly went out, leaving me to stare at my mirror image in the darkness of the unfamiliar bathroom. Shaking myself out of my stupor and waving my hand around, the lights went back on, blinding me and I squinted in surprise and annoyance.

The clothes on my body I quickly removed, the cold from the bathroom causing me to shiver. Turning on the shower, I waited a moment for the water to get warm.  _Time to wait for the temperature to get juuuust right._

After the heat of the water caused steam to rise in the small shower stall, I hopped in, and immediately yelped in surprise and a string of curses left my mouth.

"Oooh, that's hot, oh shit, that's fucking hot..." I said to myself, as a myriad of sounds and noises of  _shit that's hot_  tumbled out of me.  _Scalding. Just the way I like it._

* * *

After I had showered and had gotten dressed into my pajama's, I went back into the room.

"Shower's all yours." I told Paul. He nodded, grabbed his stuff, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Walking over to the bed, I set down my backpack near the lower bunk furthest away from the bathroom. I raked my hand through my wet hair, and sighed. I began rummaging through my backpack again, searching for the cream Miss Naoki had given me. Applying it to my cut, I hissed from the wave of pain that washed over my face, my other cuts and bruises making themselves known. The hot shower had relaxed my muscles and allowed my pain to be dulled, but I couldn't shake the tense, stinging pain.

Looking out the window, I noticed it had gotten progressively darker than when we arrived at the Pokémon Centre. I glanced at the clock above the door.  _9:30, huh?_  A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

I opened the door and Nurse Joy's face greeted me. "Hello, can I help you?" I inquired.

"There is a phone call for you." She said smiling.  _For me? Who could be calling me?_

I followed her downstairs, uncaring of anyone seeing me in my PJ's. There was a computer with a phone attached to it. Nurse Joy gestured to it, coaxing me to pick up the phone. When I did, the screen lit up, and the received picture was that of one of my hometown friends. My eyebrows almost shot up into my hairline from shock.

"Satsuki? How did you know I was in Oreburgh?" I asked surprised. It had been a while since I had seen my blue haired friend.

She laughed, the telephone static slightly distorting her voice. "I honestly didn't, I just figured I'd call every Pokémon Centre and ask about a blond girl wearing orange."

I snorted. "As if I'm the only one wearing orange."

"Hey, it worked didn't it? By the way, is that just my screen or did you hurt yourself? What happened?" She asked, before her sisters Sumomo, Tamao, and Koume came into the picture.

"Yukina! We haven't seen you in so long!" Sumomo exclaimed. "How are your travels going?" Koume interjected at the same time with Tamao, who said "Where are you right now?"

The garbled static from the phone made it all incredibly hard to make out what they all said. "Woah, calm down! One at a time, please!" I laughed, hoping they wouldn't ask about my face again.

Koume was the first one to talk again. "How are your travels going?" She repeated.

"It's been going well. I've been traveling with this guy named Paul." I answered my red haired friend.

"Ooh! Is he cute?" Sumomo asked with a sly smile. I snorted loudly.

"He could be if he didn't scowl all the damn time. I swear, that guy is severely constipated." I smiled mirthlessly. "Not to be rude or anything, but what's the reason for this surprise phone call?" I continued.

"We just wanted to see how you were holding up. Traveling can take a toll on people." Tamao explained.

"Yeah, and speaking of which, what happened to your face?" Koume asked, before getting slapped on the back of the head by all three of her sisters.

"What is wrong with you? You don't just ask somebody that!" Satsuki complained. Grimacing, I braced myself, trying to recall everything that happened.

"Alright, so Paul and I went into a cave that isn't on the map to get to Oreburgh, and I panicked at some point and fell down a hole in said cave, and hit my head. I think." I explained quickly, as I didn't want to get into all the details.

The four of them gasp. "And where was he when you fell?" Satsuki asked indignant.

"We got separated when I went crazy, but we found each other a while later, though. Seriously, I'm fine, I only needed a few stitches." I explained. My friends didn't seem too impressed however, but dropped it.

"That reminds me!" Tamao exclaimed. "Have you heard from Daichi at all recently?"

The question made my heart stop for a moment. I had not, and not for a long time.  _I don't even know for sure where he is._  I shook my head no.

"I haven't heard heads or tails from him. The last time we spoke he was on his way to Kalos, and before that he was traveling in Unova, who knows where he is. I'm sure he's busy, but would it kill him to call me every once in a while?" I complained, burying my hand in my hair.

"Yukina... Do you think he has found any information on your parents?" Sumomo asked tentatively.

Jaws clenched, I didn't answer. I stared into space for a moment.  _If he had any information, he probably would have called me. Although, knowing him, he probably would keep it from me for my sake._

"No... nothing." Voice cracking, I tried to smile reassuringly at my friends. "It'll be fine. Hopefully he's doing alright and he just forgot to call me. If he ever contacts you guys, please let me know."

* * *

Twenty minutes later we finally hung up. Despite having talked happily until disconnecting, the conversation about my brother left a bad taste in my mouth. Not having heard from him in more than a month's time has my stomach in knots.  _I don't even know where he is or what he's doing right now. Is he safe? Has he found some kind of clue?_  I shook my head, trying to rid my head from all the thoughts in my brain.

It was time for me to go back to the room Paul and I shared, so I left the call area. I climbed up the stairs, and walked over to door of our room.

Opening the door proved to be somewhat of a mistake as I was greeted with Paul putting on a black t-shirt, just as he was lowering the hem over his chest. His body wasn't overly muscular, of course, but it was still lean and nice to look at. I hadn't noticed I was staring so much until Paul cleared his throat rather pointedly. Shaking my head, I grimaced at him.

"Gotta cut back on those PokéBlocs. Starting to get a little bit soft there." I joked at him, hoping he wouldn't notice how red my ears had gotten. Paul scoffed and walked to the bunked on the west side of the room.

"Speak for yourself, I'm surprised you don't need a scooter after seeing you eat." He sneered. Blowing a raspberry at him, I climbed in the top bunk of the other bed. After I had gotten situated, I turned to Paul, only to see him staring at me with a crooked eyebrow.

"...What?" I asked.

"...Why are you up there?"

"I have this weird fear of the top bunk falling on top of me and effectively killing me." I told him deadpan. He nodded and muttered "Fair enough" before turning off the lights.

The darkness that flooded the room made my skin crawl. Curling up in a ball and pulling the blankets around my head with only my face sticking out, I pinched my eyes shut tightly to try and ward off the scary thoughts that were plaguing my mind.

That night I didn't dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment or kudos or whatever if you liked it.
> 
> This story always has really weird update times, sorry about that.


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